Families to be Honored at Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York's 2nd Annual Epilepsy Awareness Day at Citi Field

The Mazurek Family will be one of five families honored at Citi Field with the Mets Spirit Award for dedicating their lives to epilepsy awareness. They will be accepting in honor of their daughter, Emma Rose Mazurek (pictured), who died just 74 ...

The Mazurek Family will be one of five families honored at Citi Field with the Mets Spirit Award for dedicating their lives to epilepsy awareness. They will be accepting in honor of their daughter, Emma Rose Mazurek (pictured), who died just 74 days ...

NEW YORK, June 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York will host its 2nd Annual Epilepsy Awareness Day at Citi Field during a matchup between the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on Father's Day, Sunday, June 15, 2014. The event will feature several exhibits and family activities designed to help raise public awareness about epilepsy and to celebrate the New York Metro Area epilepsy community. This important event is made possible in large part due to the generous support of Eisai, Inc., our Keeper of the Flame Sponsor.

Prior to the opening pitch, there will be an on-field presentation of the Mets Spirit Award to six families that have made a significant impact on the community by dedicating their lives to raising epilepsy awareness. Excerpts from and links to the full text of their powerful stories are provided within.

"Public awareness and support for the epilepsy community is extremely important to us, and this event is a fun but powerful way to reach the entire community," said Pamela Conford, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York.

"We are proud to support the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York on this important day, as we both strongly believe in the importance of increasing public awareness about epilepsy," said Christine Verini, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Advocacy at Eisai Inc.

Excerpt: ….Emma was diagnosed with a rare and debilitating form of infantile epilepsy called Ohtahara's Syndrome. No words could have prepared us for this news or what we would soon experience. Despite the best efforts of top pediatric neurologists in the country, Emma's seizures could not be controlled. She suffered literally hundreds of seizures per day. These seizures eventually left her unable to swallow, eat and even breathe. On March 12, 2014, after only 74 days of life, we lost our precious baby.

…On September 28th he had another cluster of seizures which landed him back in the hospital for 6 more days and more tests and blood work. He is now on another combination of meds. Unfortunately the meds have started attacking his liver and kidneys. He has filled a total of approx. 72 tubes of blood, 13 EEG's, 2 MRI's and a lot more tests…The Doctors have diagnosed him with Complex Partial Epilepsy but we still don't know what triggers his cluster of seizures.

Tayla Renee was born May 25, 2012; at 7lbs 11ozs and she instantly became the biggest piece of my heart....With straight long black hair, the most amazingly shaped eyes and beautiful long eyelashes, she instantly became a favorite in the nursery. The joy of having a healthy baby came to an abrupt end in the nursery after finding out that Tayla was suffering from seizures. For the next 18 months, we spent many days and nights in and out of Long Island Jewish Children's Hospital, until we lost her.

…so I decided Ava could come along for the ride. As always she wanted a ponytail. I was gently brushing her hair into a pony when her body weight started to fall on me to the point I almost lost balance. That's when I realized she was "passing out". I held her head and watch as she laid there twitching to one side, eyes rolling to the back of her head….It was the scariest day of my life. You learn just how long 30 seconds really is when you are watching someone you love having a seizure.

Eight years later, on December 15th, 2012, Justin woke up in the middle of the night extremely disoriented, and my husband felt that something was not right. A few minutes later, Justin began to have another seizure, one of the worst he's ever had. He seized for about five minutes and lost consciousness for about fifteen minutes….One month later Justin was diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy, or Grand mal seizures.

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. According to the Institute of Medicine, epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders affecting 2.2 million people in the United States. In fact, 1 in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy, also known as seizure disorder, over the course of their lives[1]

About the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York

The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York is to lead the fight to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy. Since 1967, thousands of people with epilepsy and their families have benefited from our comprehensive social and educational services. Staffed with professionals from the medical, social work, vocational counseling and psychological professions, the Foundation provides a wide variety of services and supports. We are New York City's only service and support agency that specializes in serving the epilepsy community. Based in Manhattan, we serve the five boroughs of New York City. We also provide educational and advocacy services to Westchester County residents.

For more information about the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York, visit www.efmny.org.

[1] Institute of Medicine, Committee on the Public Health Dimensions of the Epilepsies. Epilepsy Across the Spectrum: Promoting Health and Understanding. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2012.